Fantastic Four Vol 1 258
| StoryTitle1 = Interlude | Synopsis1 = Several months ago, shortly after the Fantastic Four's battle with Gladiator, Doctor Doom is in Latveria. For now, he has foregone any major schemes, preferring to concentrate on the rebuilding of Doomstadt after the overthrow of Zorba Fortunov, and to care for his adopted ward Kristoff. Doom allows himself to show an unexpected tender side with the boy, under Doom's protection since Zorba's troops killed his mother. He brings Kristoff to review his Doombots, one of which is destroyed for its failure to kill Arcade for striking a match on its armor during their confrontation with the X-Men. Weeks later, Doom is notified by one of his scientists, Gert Hauptmann, on the completion of a crucial project. On Doom's instructions, Hauptmann has built a device that can retrieve the cosmic power that Doom had once stolen from the Silver Surfer. Hauptmann eagerly invites his master to use the device immediately; however, Doom seizes the scientist and throws him in the chamber instead. Doom throws the switch and watches as Hauptmann's body is disintegrated by the raw energy. Doom muses that Hauptmann, who had long hated Doom for killing his brother, would have claimed the cosmic power for himself if he truly believed in the machine's safety. Kristoff finds Doom in his study, searching for a more fitting vessel for the Surfer's power — a being powerful enough to contain the energy while remaining craven enough to be manipulated by Doom for his own ends. Kristoff offhandedly suggests Magneto, innocently suggesting his power rivals Doom's own. Doom, who considers no other being to be his rival, orders Kristoff away, his rage overwhelming whatever paternal feelings he may have harbored and nearly causing him to injure the child. In his fury, he suddenly remembers an ideal candidate... Two days later, a pair of Doom's sentry robots reconnoiter a Manhattan hospital, where they retrieve a heavily-bandaged "John Doe" that had been found in a garbage pile, with every bone broken. The patient is brought to Latveria where, after being healed by Doom's medics, is revealed to be Terrax the Tamer, former herald to Galactus. His recent memories stripped along with his powers, he now refers to himself as Tyros the Terrible, the name under which he ruled on the world of Birj. Doom convinces Tyros that he can regain his lost cosmic power; garbing the former herald in a containment suit, he bombards Tyros with the same radiation that destroyed Hauptmann. However, Tyros survives the transformation. Now, seething with unimaginable power, Tyros remembers the exhilaration of being a herald — and how the Fantastic Four led to his downfall. Doom easily convinces Tyros to seek vengeance against their common foes and provides a sky sled with which Tyros flies to New York. Doom watches Tyros leave and reflects on his unfolding scheme. The containment suit on Tyros acts as a life-support system, preventing the cosmic power from consuming him, but it will fail within five hours. Tyros's death will remove a possible rival, but in the meantime, the herald will succeed in achieving Doom's ultimate goal — the destruction of the Fantastic Four! | Appearing1 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * * * Other Characters: * * * * * Jim * Bob * Fraulein Mueller * Pierre * * * * * Races and Species: * * * * Robots * * * Locations: * ** *** ** *** **** ***** * ** Items: * * * * * * * * Vehicles: * * * | Notes = Continuity Notes * This story begins after the battle between the Fantastic Four and Gladiator which happened in - . * Doctor Doom last appeared in - when he forced the Fantastic Four to help him liberate Latveria from Prince Zorba. Those events are mentioned in this issue. * A woman comes to Doctor Doom to inform him that Doctor Strange is without a disciple. This is a reference to Clea leaving Doctor Strange's side in . By of that series, others came seeking to learn under Strange's tutelage. This scene is repeated word for word in both issues. * Kristoff appears here between his appearances in and , which reveals that Doom has been grooming Kristoff to be his successor. * This story reveals that the "Doctor Doom" who was assisting Arcade in trying to destroy the X-Men in - was really a Doombot. * Gert Hauptman was last seen in when he failed to trap Doctor Doom and Iron Man in the 6th Century. Doom, and Iron Man managed to escape that era in . * Doom recalls how he stole the Silver Surfer's Power Cosmic and used it until he lost it by slamming into the barrier around the Earth erected by Galactus. This happened in - . Galactus put up the barrier around Earth to keep the Silver Surfer trapped on the planet after he betrayed Galactus to the Fantastic Four in . * Kristoff suggests that Doom team-up with Magneto. The pair previously failed to work together in . Doom mentions Magneto as the "erstwhile" member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto founded the Brotherhood in which he ran until . At the time of this story he had since reformed a Brotherhood on two occasions in - and . * The scene at the hospital occurs during the events of when the Thing was hospitalized following his battles against Gladiator and the Champion. * Captain America and Iron Man appear here in and the third story in respectively. Both next appear in where they visit the Vision in the hospital after he was injured in battle. * Tyros was stripped of his powers by Galactus in . This story recaps his transformation into Terrax, a herald of Galactus in . * This issue contains a letters page, Fantastic Four Fan Page. Letters are published from Christine Johnson, Robbie Aromatoris, Stu Krull, Mike Atkins, Mark Waldman, Sean Fagan, Stephen Gawrowski, Keith McCaffety and Joey Shaleck. | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = }}